


Brothers

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [45]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-26 04:36:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7560349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being the son of Oliver Queen might've prepared William to be a masked vigilante, but it didn't prepare him for everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who continues to support this series with comments and kudos.
> 
> I debated whether or not I'd ever share this installment - not because I don't like it, but it is the first installment in the series that is not only not from one of the threesome's POV, they don't even make an appearance. If that hasn't scared you off, I hope you'll enjoy some sibling bonding.
> 
> I'm not telling this series in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you'd like to, the list is below.  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The Hack of the Golden Dragon (Part 36)  
> 3\. Girl Wednesday (Part 41)  
> 4\. This Time Last Year (Part 44)  
> 5\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 6\. Aloe and Chamomile (Part 40)  
> 7\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 8\. Ground Rules (Part 43)  
> 9\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 10\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 11\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 12\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 13\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 14\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 15\. 30 (Part 30)  
> 16\. Hong Kong (Part 35)  
> 17\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 18\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 19\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 20\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 21\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 22\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 23\. Fear and Loathing (Part 42)  
> 24\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 25\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 26\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 27\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 28\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 29\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 30\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 31\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 32\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 33\. Three (Part 13)  
> 34\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 35\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 36\. Something Blue (Part 39)  
> 37\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19)  
> 38\. Love Is Worth It In The End (Part 33)  
> 39\. The Mini (Part 38)  
> 40\. The Drop Out (Part 32)  
> 41\. William (Part 29)  
> 42\. Hold On For One More Day (Part 31)  
> 43\. Yours, Mine, Ours (Part 37)  
> 44\. Saturdays With The Green Arrow (Part 34)  
> 45\. Brothers (Part 45)
> 
> Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

The sound of the front door opening and closing set William into motion. He opened the fridge to retrieve the snacks he’d prepared for Bobby and Becca earlier in the day. The twins were seated happily in their booster seats at the large farm table finger painting. The three of them had spent a fun morning at the park together and had come home for an afternoon of arts and crafts.

Bobby entered the kitchen with a storm thundering across his face. Becca followed behind her big brother and gave William an apologetic look.

“Hey guys,” William smiled cheerfully, “how was your day?”

Becca opened her mouth to respond when her bother cut her off, “It sucked.”

William sighed. Long gone were the days when Bobby was the swear jar chief of police, “Bobby, we’ve got little ears in the room.”

Bobby looked at the twins and shrugged, “Mommy says a lot worse than, sucks.”

“Mommy is a CEO and is allowed to swear,” Becca said as she climbed onto the kitchen stool to reach the snack William had put out. Becca smiled at William, “Da says it’s mom’s pierogi to swear.”

William smiled, “Prerogative.”

“Prerogative,” Becca smiled as she tested the word out.

William gently tugged on Becca’s braid as he turned his attention back to his sullen nine-year-old brother, “Why did your day suck?”

Bobby pulled his QC holo-tablet from his book bag and pushed it across the counter, “Are you my brother?”

“Of course I’m your brother,” William said as his he turned on the holo-tablet. The image awaiting him had him biting back a groan. His little brother had done a Google image search on the phrase, T _he children of Oliver Queen_. All five of Oliver’s children were shown, but the majority of the pictures were of William, Nathaniel and Prudence. William selected the next tab and an additional image search was displayed for, _The children of Thomas Merlyn_. All four Smoak children appeared, but the majority of the pictures were of Robert and Rebecca. There was one image of the four Smoak children walking between Oliver and Tommy. It had been in the tabloids over the summer and one gossip website and helpfully circled features on each of the children and drew lines to the dad that shared the nose, eyes, dimple and/or smile. William had grown to despise the tabloids.

“Who’s my dad?” Bobby asked.

Becca put down her carrot stick and looked between her bothers. “We have one mom and two dads,” she said with concern.

“We can’t have two dads, stupid,” Bobby sneered.

“Hey,” Williams said sharply, “don’t call your sister stupid. Sit down.” Bobby opened his mouth to say something, but William held up a finger, “You sit down and be quiet.”

“Fine,” Bobby huffed as he sat down on the stool and folded his arms across his chest.

William dampened a towel and approached the twins, “Hands in the air.” Nate and Prue obediently held their hands over their heads. He was grateful that two of the Smoak children listened to whatever he told them without comment. William wiped their paint covered fingers clean. “Becca, can you take the twins outside and see what Tess is doing?”

“No,” Becca pouted, “I want to hear what you and Bobby are going to talk about.”

William looked at the ceiling and prayed for patience. He was beginning to question the wisdom of volunteering to watch the kids for a week so that Oliver, Tommy and Felicity could celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary. “Becks,” William said gently, “please take Nate and Prue outside. When Bobby and I are done talking, you and I can talk, okay?”

She eyed William suspiciously, “You’re going to tell me what you tell Bobby?”

“I promise,” William offered. He had no intention of telling either child more than he needed to defuse the situation, but Becca could be relentless.

Becca sighed and hopped down from her stool. She wrapped her apple slices in a napkin, “Fine, but I’m taking my snack.”

“Thank you,” William said as he led the twins to the garden door. He waited until all three of the kids had made it down the patio stairs onto the lawn where Tess was happily digging a hole amongst the rose bushes. Deciding that Bobby was more important than the roses, he left the large shaggy black dog to her destruction.

William sat down on the stool that Becca had just vacated. “All right,” he spun Bobby’s chair to face him, “what’s going on?”

“Do you know where babies come from?” Bobby asked sincerely.

“I do,” William said seriously.

Bobby reached for his holo and flipped through some screens. He pushed the holo back towards William. There was a drawing of a uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries, as well as sperm. He wrinkled his nose and recited what he’d clearly heard his teacher say earlier in the day, “We’re learning about puberty and our changing bodies. Today we learned about where babies come from.”

“You already know where babies come from. I know your mom and dads told you about it when your mom was pregnant with Nate and Prue.” William had actually been around for that conversation and had been slightly mortified when it was over and Oliver had taken him aside to have a discussion about sex and relationships.

Bobby rolled his eyes, “I know about sex.”

William swallowed heavily. He really didn’t want to be having this conversation. He was twenty-two and still blushed when he bought condoms. “Okay, you know about sex.”

Bobby’s eyes filled with tears and he pointed to a drawing of an ova being penetrated by a sperm, “I can only have one dad.”

“Bobby,” William said softly, “I think this conversation needs to wait for your mom and dads to get home.” It wasn’t his place to share what Bobby’s parents had chosen not to reveal. There was no doubt in his mind that his dad, Tommy and Felicity would want to be the ones to have this conversation.

“Do you know who my dad is?” Bobby asked through his tears.

“I do,” William said truthfully. Having been a victim of parental lies, William had vowed to never lie to his siblings about anything other than Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the identities of Starling City’s masked heroes. “You have two dads who love you very much.”

“No, I can only have one dad,” Bobby said angrily.

“That’s not true,” William said with conviction. He pointed to the picture of the sperm, “Trust me, this alone doesn’t make you a dad.” William had come to learn that the truth is often more complicated than he ever thought possible.

“Mrs. Ortez said a baby is born when a mommy’s egg and a daddy’s sperm come together.” Bobby pointed to the drawing again, “One sperm.” He pointed to himself, “I can’t have two dads.”

“My dad, Richard,” William said patiently, “his sperm didn’t make me, but he is my dad.”

Bobby’s brow furrowed, “How?”

“Because he loves me and he worries about me. He hugs me when I’m sad and yells at me when I do something bad. He coached my little league team and went to all of my parent teacher conferences. He read to me when I was little and held my hand when I was scared. I know that no matter what, he’ll always be there for me. That’s what makes him my dad.”

“Daddy is your dad too,” Bobby said as he wiped the tears from his eyes, “but you were bigger than me when he found out.”

“Yes, Oliver is my dad too,” William answered truthfully. It took several years, but William had finally recognized Oliver as a parent and not just a friend or an accident of biology.

“Did daddy’s sperm make you?” Bobby pushed.

“Yes,” William responded. He was way more comfortable discussing the circumstances of his own birth than that of his siblings.

“Did his sperm make me too?” Bobby tentatively touched William’s knee and then looked up at him with wide blue eyes – Tommy’s eyes - that were swimming in tears.

William knew the answer to this question, but being a member of this family had taught him that the answer was truly irrelevant. “Do you love both of your dads?”

Bobby nodded.

“Do you love one dad more than the other?” William asked, confident of his brother’s answer.

Bobby shook his head.

William had been watching Tommy and Oliver with their children for years and biology had never dictated their love for them. “Do your dads love you?”

“Yes,” Bobby said softly.

William hunched his 6”3’ frame so he was looking directly in his brother’s eyes, “How do you know that they both love you?”

Bobby shrugged, “Because they tell me all the time. They even tell me in front of my friends,” he complained.

William smiled sympathetically, “Dads can be embarrassing.”

“Ugh, daddy hugged and kissed me in front of school last week. Everyone was watching,” Bobby’s cheeks turned pink.

“Your daddy must love you a lot,” William offered without laughing at his brother’s clear embarassment.

“So does, da,” Bobby countered defensively.

“They both do,” William agreed. “You and me, we’re pretty lucky to have two dads who love us so much.”

“Da’s dad is a bad man,” Bobby said. “Daddy says it makes da sad.”

“Tommy’s dad is a bad man. I think that’s why your da is such a good dad. He wants to be the kind of dad he wishes his dad had been.”

“Gramps isn’t mommy’s dad, but Gram is mommy’s mom.” Bobby said as if he were testing his brother.

William nodded. They had a very complicated family that was connected more through love than biology. “Your Grandma Donna married your Gramps after your mommy was all grown up.”

“Where’s mommy’s daddy?” Bobby asked conspiratorially. “No one ever talks about him.”

William opened his mouth and then closed it. “I honestly don’t know,” he finally answered when he realized that in the past seven years that he’d been a part of this family he’d never asked Felicity about her dad. Lance was married to Donna by the time William showed up on their doorstep and he’d always thought of him as Felicity’s dad. He’d never actually been curious about the man who was her biological father.

“Grandpa Walt isn’t married,” Bobby said as he fiddled with his holo.

“Grandpa Walt,” which is what William started to call Walter the first time that they met, “was married to our Grandma Moira who was your daddy and Aunt Thea’s mommy.”

“Grandma Moira and Grandma Rebecca are in heaven,” Bobby supplied. “So is Aunt Laurel and Grandpa Robert and Hildy.”

“They are,” William said as he squeezed Bobby’s hand. He was amazed by how much Oliver and Tommy had lost over the years and how it hadn’t diminished their capacity to love as unreservedly as they did.

“I miss Hildy,” Bobby said.

“Me too,” William said as he smiled at a memory of the big red dog grunting as he rubbed her belly the first time he’d met her.

“She’d eat my broccoli when daddy wasn’t looking,” Bobby said as he hopped off his stool.

“Hello,” Donna called from the foyer.

“We’re out here,” William called with relief. Donna was taking the dinner and bedtime shift so he could take care of a few things.

“Hi bubbela,” Donna said as she hugged her grandson and left a big red lipstick kiss on his cheek.

Bobby rubbed his face but grinned, “Hi, Gram.”

William ruffled Bobby’s hair, “Go get your brother and sisters.”

Bobby opened the garden doors and shouted, “Gram’s here.”

Tess started barking and the twins squealed with delight. Bobby went outside to help the twins climb the stairs.

“You okay, hon?” Donna squeezed William’s arm, “You look like you’ve been through the wars.”

William pushed the holo-tablet towards her and she shuddered when she saw the picture. “I’ll never forget Felicity coming home from sex-ed. She was eleven, but a freshman in high school. She wanted to know if I knew how to put a condom on a penis and she offered to show me how on a banana.”

William burst out laughing, “That sounds like Felicity.”

“You have no idea.” Donna got a faraway look on her face and smiled, “That was a year that really tested my abilities as a mom.”

“We got a little side-tracked when B2 got home. They haven’t started their homework yet,” William apologized.

“That’s all right,” Donna said as she screwed the caps back on the finger paints. “My baby’s babies are geniuses. The don’t need my help.”

“If it weren’t for these recent robberies,” William started.

Donna waved him off, “If I learned anything from being in this family, it’s that a hero’s job is never done. This city needs the Green Arrow. It needs you.”

William smiled brightly. The day his dad handed him his own green uniform had been the proudest of his life. He’d never felt more connected to Oliver than in the moment he saw his reflection after he’d put on the leather for the first time. He kissed Donna on the cheek, “Roy’s going to meet me in a half hour to go over some searches. I want to catch these guys before dad gets home.”

Donna smiled, “The bad guys don’t stand a chance.” She kissed his cheek, “Just be safe. You’re one of my baby’s babies too.”

He rubbed at his cheek where he knew lipstick had to be. The Green Arrow’s fierce reputation might be somewhat diminished if he ran around town with a pair of bright red lips on his face. “Bobby found out about conception today. He figured out that only one sperm fertilizes the egg,” William warned her.

“Oh,” Donna looked to the garden door, “I was wondering when he’d figure that out. Did he ask who his dad is?”

“He did.”

Donna leaned heavily on the counter, “What did you tell him?”

He glanced into the garden to determine the location of all the pairs of little ears. “I deflected and told him that both of his dads are his dad and that sperm doesn’t make you a dad.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Donna said under her breath. “It’s okay sweetie. If he asks, I’ll deflect too. Felicity and the boys should really have this conversation.”

“Agreed.” William went to the garden door, “Let’s go, you four. Your Gram is waiting.” He watched the kids and Tess file in. “You’re all going to be good for your Gram or you’ll be in trouble when I get home. B2, you’re going to do your homework before dinner and leave it on the counter for me to check and sign when I get home.” He swooped the twins up and placed one over each shoulder, earning him squeals of delight. “You two monkeys are getting a bath tonight and I want the water to stay inside the tub.” William put the twins down, “Nate, where are your glasses?”

Nate shrugged.

Prue giggled and pointed at Tess.

William groaned as he realized where his little brother’s glasses must be. He went out to the garden to retrieve Nate’s glasses from where Tess had buried them amongst the rose bushes. A brother’s work was never done.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Tommy and Felicity come home from their trip and learn that Bobby has been asking very specific questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many of you asked how our threesome would respond to the events in chapter 1 that I decided to share that with you in today's installment.
> 
> Your comments and kudos for this story have been appreciated. I'm glad to know that you're just as happy to read a fic about their kids as you are to read about our threesome. Thank you.

Five years away had taught Oliver many things, but the most important was, there is no place like home. Oliver, Tommy and Felicity hadn’t spent seven days alone together since their honeymoon and he’d loved every moment of his time away with his spouses celebrating their tenth anniversary, but he was ready to be home. He missed waking up in his own bed and being surrounded by the familiar, but mostly he missed his kids. He missed sticky hugs and kisses, bath time and story time. He missed the noise of four children running around laughing and fighting. He was itching to wrap his arms around his babies, which was why he was disappointed when he stepped into his home and was greeted with complete silence.

“Hello,” Felicity called out as she stepped around her husbands and all of their luggage, “is anyone home?”

“In here,” William called out to them from the living room.

Oliver followed Felicity and Tommy into the living room. The smile fell from his face as he saw the tension in the set of his son’s shoulders.

“Wow,” Felicity teased as she walked up to her stepson and kissed his cheek, “you look just like your Grandma Moira – right down to that little crease between your eyebrows.”

Tommy laughed nervously and shot Oliver a look, “For a split second, I thought you were about to ground your dad and me.”

“Where are the kids? Did you finally have enough and sell them to the circus?” Felicity teased.

“I was tempted a few times, but they are out to dinner with your mom and Quentin. They’ll be back soon,” William said with a smile.

Oliver’s fingers began to rub together as his son’s nerves became contagious. William knew how much they wanted to see the children as soon as they got home. For his son to send his siblings away, it must mean that there was a situation. “What’s wrong?” Oliver asked tensely. “Did something happen on the street?”

“Nope, Roy and I had it covered.” William gestured to the sofa, “I need to talk to you about something that happened with Bobby.”

“Bobby?” Tommy asked as he sat down.

As soon as the adults were seated, William popped up from his chair and began to pace in front of the fireplace.

“Just tell us,” Oliver said as acid began to churn in his stomach. Whatever happened with Bobby, William was nervous to tell them about it.

“Did you shoot him with an arrow?” Felicity asked casually.

William stopped pacing, “What? No.” He shook his head, “I didn’t shoot, Bobby.”

“If you didn’t shoot him, then there isn’t anything to be so nervous about,” she said kindly. “Trust me when I say that you are our personal hero for taking them for seven days. If they didn’t get a single bath and lived off of licorice and Cheetos the entire time we were gone, we will consider it a success.” At Oliver’s look she sighed, “I’ll consider it a success.”

He ran his hands through his hair, “Everyone got baths and three square meals a day. We might have missed a few bedtimes, but everyone is alive with all of their fingers and toes.”

“Yay, our hero,” Felicity said with her fists held in the air.

“William,” Oliver encouraged, “just tell us.”

The twenty-two-year-old folded his arms across his chest, “Bobby came home from school with some questions. He learned about conception in his health class.”

Oliver suddenly saw spots in front of his eyes and lowered his head. He didn’t need his son to say another word, he already knew what Bobby’s question had to be. Oliver had been dreading this moment for nearly ten years. Felicity placed her hand between his shoulder blades.

“What did he ask?” Tommy placed a reassuring hand on Oliver’s leg.

“He realized that only one sperm can fertilize an egg. He wanted to know which of you is his dad,” William sounded apologetic.

Oliver’s head flew up, “What did you tell him?”

William looked his dad in the eyes, “I told him the truth. Sperm alone doesn’t make you a dad, actions and love do and that he has two dads that love him.”

“What did he say to that?” Felicity’s fingers laced with Oliver’s.

He looked at Felicity, “It seemed to satisfy him. We talked about fatherhood - me and my dads and Tommy’s dad and your dad and Walter and Quentin. He hasn’t brought it up since.” William knelt in front of Oliver and took his free hand, “He knows that you love him, dad, and he loves you too.”

William didn’t call Oliver dad very often and his heart swelled with joy every time he heard him say it. Oliver understood that Richard was really William’s dad and that when his son had a triumph or was upset and needed comfort his first instinct was always to call Richard. Even though he understood, it still hurt. He squeezed his son’s hands before he stood up, “Thank you. That couldn’t have been an easy conversation for you.”

“It was a conversation I thought that the three of you should have with him. I deflected and he seemed appeased, but you know how his mind works. He’s not going to let it go. He might not be talking about it, but he’s thinking about it,” William said quietly.

“He’s right,” Tommy said to Oliver. “Our son has probably collected samples from our toothbrushes and is running DNA analysis in his school’s lab.”

Oliver knew that Tommy was joking, but their nine-year-old was perfectly capable of deciding to learn how to perform DNA tests. He looked to Felicity, “Do you think he’s trying to figure it out.”

Felicity sighed, “I imagine he thought about asking Curtis for help, but then decided if he asked Curtis, Curtis would tell us. He’s probably trying to figure out what he needs to run the tests at school. I doubt he has gotten very far, but I probably should check our credit cards to see if he ordered any equipment.”

Oliver took some comfort that they had a little bit more time before their genius nine-year-old started running paternity tests on himself and his siblings.

William cleared his throat, “I’m going to head out. The kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement to see you. I imagine they are inhaling their dinners so they can come home.”

Felicity hugged her stepson, “Thank you, William. For everything.”

Tommy hugged William, “I hope you had fun with them, even with the awkward questions.”

William laughed as he followed Tommy and Felicity out into the foyer, “I always have fun with them, but I’m looking forward to not sharing my bed with two three year olds and a dog.”

Felicity opened one of the suitcases and pulled out a bag, “A little something for you.” William opened the bag and pulled out a brown leather jacket. He slipped it on and zipped it up. It appeared as if it had been made for him. Felicity smoothed her hands over his shoulders, “One of the benefits of outfitting you in green is that I have your measurements.” Her brow furrowed, “If that sounded creepy, I didn’t mean it to.”

William laughed, “I knew what you meant. I love it.”

Tommy smiled warmly, “You look just like your dad did at your age.”

“Just with better hair,” Oliver joked as he hugged his son. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Sure thing,” William said as he pulled out of his dad’s arms. “Thanks for the jacket. It’ll look sweet on my new bike.”

“Like father like son,” Felicity looped her arm through Oliver’s. “Be safe.”

As soon as the door closed behind William, Tommy turned to them and asked, “What are we going to do about Bobby?”

“We ask him what he wants to know and tell him the truth,” Oliver said lifting two of their suitcases. He didn’t think that there were any other options for them. They’d been on borrowed time since the moment of Bobby’s birth and now they had to face the consequences of the choice they made ten years before.

Tommy followed behind him as Oliver climbed the stairs, “Once we tell him, it won’t be fair to ask him to keep it secret. If he tells Becca, she is going to want to know the truth too.”

“I know you two don’t like secrets, but this is one secret he is going to have to keep,” Felicity said defensively as she brought up the rear. “I don’t know how I feel about telling Becca and I don’t want him discussing this at school. Our family is our business. He can talk about this at home and with his grandparents and aunts and uncles, but this family isn’t up for discussion outside of our home.”

“He’s nine. How do we expect him to keep this quiet?” Oliver put down their luggage and sat on their bed, “Do we think Becca is old enough to understand this? She’s six and has never questioned why she has two dads.”

“I’d rather not tell her now, if we don’t have to,” Tommy said as he flopped onto their bed.

“She wasn’t remotely curious when I explained where babies come from,” Felicity laid down between her husbands. “Bobby had a million questions when he was her age.”

“That’s because you were the size of a barn and pregnant with the twins,” Tommy teased.

Felicity slapped Tommy’s tummy, “Regardless, Bobby was asking questions. Becca hasn’t been. All of the parenting books say to wait to have these conversations until your child expresses curiosity. When Becca asked about her friend’s pregnant mom and how a baby got inside of her, she was satisfied with the answer that when mommies and daddies love one another they decide to make a baby. She didn’t ask how they make a baby, she just said okay and went back to the swings.”

Oliver groaned, “Why is parenting so hard?”

“We did add to the degree of difficulty, by choice,” Tommy pointed out unhelpfully.

“Stupid health class, educating our children,” Felicity whined. “I thought he’d be older when he put the mechanics of it together.”

“Our fourth grader is taking high school math and science classes. How old did you think he’d be?” Oliver asked testily. He’d been waiting for Bobby to ask every day since he had the fight with Baron Holstrom in kindergarten.

“Hey,” Felicity snapped, “I thought we would have at least until puberty. He still sleeps with a teddy bear, for goodness sake. Suffice it to say, I didn’t think that he’d be that interested in the mechanics of conception yet.”

“Let’s all take a deep breath,” Tommy said sitting up. “I think we need to listen to what he tells us he wants to know and then be honest with him. I think it is reasonable for us to ask him not to discuss it with his siblings until they are older and ready to know.”

The front door opened and the sounds of their children, Donna, Quentin and Tess shattered the silence of their home.

“Agreed?” Tommy asked.

Felicity nodded, “Yes. Agreed.”

They both looked to Oliver and he wished that there was another way than to ask their child to keep secrets, but he had three other children to think about. It was the only solution available to them. He nodded, “Agreed.”

Three hours later, Oliver, Tommy and Felicity stood outside of Bobby’s bedroom holding hands. The twins were asleep and they’d just left Becca’s room after Oliver had read her a story and Tommy had sung her a lullaby. They’d decided to confront Bobby about the conversation he’d had with his brother and then play it by ear. The anxious parents had been standing outside of his room in silent dread.

“We don’t need to do this tonight,” Felicity whispered.

“No, we should do this tonight,” Oliver said eyeing their son’s bedroom door nervously. Oliver had known terror in his life, but the thought of telling his son that he wasn’t his father was making his knees shake. He thought there was a good chance he might vomit.

Felicity stood up on her toes and kissed Oliver, “He loves you, no matter what he learns tonight.”

Tommy took his turn and kissed his husband, “Everything is going to be all right, I promise.”

Oliver knocked on their son’s door and poked his head into the room. The sight of his son in Green Arrow pajamas and a Flash bathrobe made him smile. Bobby was sprawled across his bed on his belly, his head resting on his teddy bear, as he read something on his holo tablet. “Hey, little man,” Oliver said stepping into the room, “bedtime.”

Bobby’s face lit up at the sight of his parents. He sat up against his headboard and folded his legs, “I was just reading Harry Potter.”

Felicity sat down next to him and picked up the tablet. She read a few lines and smiled, “This scene is one of your dad’s favorite.”

Oliver took the tablet from his wife. He’d read the Harry Potter books to Thea before the Gambit. When the Gambit sank, he and Thea were still reading _The Deathly Hallows_. A year after she believed her brother had died, Thea had broken down at school. When Tommy went to see her and asked what had happened, she’d confided that she’d freaked out when some kids were discussing the book and she didn’t know how it ended because Oliver hadn’t finished reading it to her. Tommy showed up the following weekend with a blanket and a picnic and they sat at Oliver’s grave as Tommy finished reading the book aloud to Thea. When Oliver returned home, the book was sitting on his nightstand where he’d left it. He reread the entire series over the six weeks he was recuperating from the injuries he’d received from Malcolm the first Christmas he was back home. Oliver smiled as he read the start of the chapter where Harry rode his first broom, “I’d trade in my Ducati for a Nimbus any day.”

Bobby nodded his agreement, “Your bike is still a lot of fun.”

Oliver tickled Bobby’s belly, “That was supposed to be our secret. You want your mom and dad to kill me?”

Their son’s eyes went wide, “I wore a helmet and we just rode in the parking lot at Verdant.”

“Did you have a good week?” Tommy asked trying to spare their son from having to cover for something he and Felicity already knew about. “Anything exciting happen?”

“I scored a goal yesterday,” Bobby said proudly.

“We saw it,” Oliver beamed, “your Gram sent us a video. It was a great goal.  I’m sorry that we missed it.”

“I’ll score more,” Bobby yawned and leaned against Felicity.

The sight of his sleepy son was making Oliver doubt their plan. They should just let Bobby fall asleep and worry about having the conversation at another time, except that Oliver didn’t want his son going to bed worrying about who his father was, “Anything else?”

Bobby knowingly looked between his parents and sat up, “William told you.”

“He told us that you came home from school with some questions,” Felicity’s voice was light and non-threatening. “Would you like to ask your dads and me any questions?”

Bobby looked at his hands, “I know only one of you can be my dad.”

“That’s not true,” Felicity took hold of her son’s hands. “They are both your dads.”

“Only one of their sperm made me,” Bobby told Felicity.

Felicity cupped her son’s face in her hands, “When your dads and I decided that we wanted to have children together, we made a choice that our children would have two dads and that we wouldn’t worry about whose sperm made you. We loved each other so much and we wanted a baby to share our love with. When I told your dads that I was pregnant with you, they were so happy. Your da was so excited, he practically tackled me. Your dad, he kissed my belly and he told you how happy we were. Bobby, you have been loved before we even knew that you were growing inside of me. Your dads and I, we love you more than you will probably understand until you have a child of your own.”

“Do you know whose sperm made me?” Bobby asked nervously.

“Do you want to know?” Tommy asked.

“Do you know?” Bobby asked.

“We do,” Oliver felt like a knife was tearing through his chest. “Do you want to know?”

Bobby’s bottom lip began to quiver. He looked between his dads and then burst into tears. “I don’t know,” he gasped.

Felicity pulled Bobby onto her lap and wrapped her arms around him. Oliver and Tommy scooted closer and each placed a hand on their son’s back. “You don’t ever have to know, if you don’t want to,” Tommy dropped his head to the top of his son’s.

“You can ask us, whenever you’re ready,” Oliver said through his tears.

“I want you both to be my dads,” Bobby sobbed.

“We are both your dads,” Oliver wrapped his arm around his son, “and nothing will ever change that.”

“You promise,” Bobby stuttered.

“Yes,” Tommy gently lifted Bobby from Felicity’s lap and sat him across his father’s laps, “we promise. We will always love you and we will always be your dads.”

Oliver and Tommy held their son as he cried himself out. Once Bobby calmed down he said, “I don’t want to know. If I don’t know, then it will be like you both made me. Maybe you can tell me later. Is that okay?”

Felicity gently moved his damp curls from his eyes, “That’s more than okay.”

Bobby yawned and his eyes were heavy. Tommy helped get him out of his robe as Felicity turned down the covers. “Time for bed, little man,” Tommy said as he placed his son’s teddy bear in his arms.

Bobby grabbed hold of both his dads’ hands, “Will you stay with me for a little while.”

“Sure,” Oliver said as he laid down on his side next to his son. “Bobby, you can talk to us about this whenever you want, we just ask that you don’t say anything to your sisters and brother, okay?”

“They’re too little,” Bobby said with understanding.

“Exactly,” Tommy laid down next to Bobby and faced Oliver. Both men draped an arm across their son.

Felicity kissed her son’s forehead, “Sweet dreams, Bobby. I love you.”

“I love you too, mommy,” Bobby said through another yawn. “I love you, da,”

“I love you,” Tommy kissed Bobby.

Bobby kissed Oliver, “I love you, daddy.”

Oliver smiled and brushed the hair from Bobby’s forehead, “I love you, little man.”

Felicity kissed Tommy and Oliver’s foreheads before she slipped from the room.

“Da?” Bobby asked sleepily.

“Yeah,” Tommy replied.

Bobby yawned loudly before he responded, “Can we go to the park tomorrow so I can practice?”

“I think we can go after school,” Tommy answered.

Bobby rolled over and rested his head against Oliver’s chest and sighed. In under a minute, Bobby’s breathing evened out. Oliver looked over his sleeping son at Tommy and began to silently cry. Of all the scenarios he imagined, he hadn’t expected their son to want to remain in the dark. Bobby wanting to continue believing that he was made by both of his dads was a gift that Oliver was going to hold onto for as long as their son would let them.

Tommy’s fingers stroked Oliver’s cheeks as his tears continued to fall. Tommy smiled at him and mouthed, “I love you.”

Oliver pressed his lips to Tommy’s palm. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/


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